Paula Patton Set To Star As Josephine Baker In Upcoming Biopic

#Roommates if there is one thing that Hollywood loves to do, it’s put together a biopic on an iconic figure. While some probably should have been skipped, there are definitely others that have produced legendary performances—and Paula Patton is hoping she’s got next. It’s just been announced that she is set to star as the iconic dancer/singer Josephine Baker in a new project.

Paula Patton has given us some memorable roles throughout her career, but her latest acting challenge could have fans seeing her in a whole new light. According to @HollywoodReporter, Paula has officially optioned film and television rights to “Josephine Baker’s Last Dance,” which is a novel by Sherry Jones based on the life and career of Josephine Baker. Paula will be both starring in and producing an adaptation of the novel.

In case you need a refresher on the legendary Ms. Baker, here are just some of the incredible things she was known for outside of being an amazing entertainer. After she left America for France while in her early 20s, she became an immediate success as a dancer and singer whose daring performances caught the attention of Ernest Hemingway, Picasso and many other historical figures. She worked as an undercover agent for the French resistance during World War II and became a civil rights activist in her later years.

She also refused to perform at segregated nightclubs, was a strong advocate of the NAACP and was the only woman to stand with Martin Luther King Jr. and speak at the March on Washington in 1963.

Speaking about the project, Paula had this to say:

“Josephine Baker had an incredible life and was a remarkable woman. It’s been a childhood dream of mine to play such an inspirational person and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to tell her story.”